


Entangled

by Selphie142



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-26 15:31:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1693412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selphie142/pseuds/Selphie142
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During his second year at Starfleet Academy, Leonard discovers he's pregnant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Entangled

It was almost lunch time on Saturday morning and the San Franciscan sun was streaming through the partially open blinds at the window. Jim was spread out comfortably across the couch, feet up on one armrest, in the living area of the dorm he shared with Leonard. He was reading through notes on his PADD from the classes he had during the week. Although Jim was one to party he was still a diligent student of Starfleet Academy and partied enough to be able to shrug off the effects of the night before quickly and relatively easily. He had managed to settle into a routine of checking through his notes on a weekend, even after a night out.

The front door slid open with a quiet _woosh_ and Jim looked up from his PADD to see Leonard stumble in. He had one hand up trying to block light to his squinting eyes, the other clutching his jacket. Jim looked at the state of him; his dark hair was sticking out in various different directions, his t-shirt was inside out and his Converses unlaced. It looked like the good doctor had thoroughly enjoyed himself last night, especially if he was only just making it back to their dorm so late in the morning. Jim smiled. He found it hilarious that Bones had become so preoccupied with his night-time activities that he had only just made it back as well as that he seemed to be suffering with an amazing hangover.

Jim watched him wander into the kitchenette area and throw his jacket over the counter-top before getting a glass and filling it with water, his back to the bright sunlight coming through the window. Leonard stood sipping at the water in such a way that Jim knew he was trying to keep nausea at bay and could tell he was grimacing as if willing his headache. Jim placed his PADD on the side table and joined Leonard in the kitchenette area.

 “Good night then?” Jim purposefully spoke a little too loudly and was stood a little too close for Leonard's liking. He jumped slightly and winced.

 “God dammit, Jim,” he said quietly and pinched at the bridge of his nose, “Keep your voice down.”

 Jim folded his arms and leaned back against the counter to face Leonard. He chuckled to himself, “So, how was your date with Johnny?” he said, lowering his voice.

 Ah, Johnny – Leonard's boyfriend.

 Jim couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy. He and Leonard had been very close friends since the day they had met on the shuttle from Iowa, but nothing more. The pair had been virtually inseparable for the two years they had been at the academy, both in the couple of classes they shared and during their free time. Jim had been smitten with Leonard the second he'd muttered something about throwing up. He had hoped that something more would have developed between them over time but, to Jim's disappointment, nothing did. It didn't help that Jim tried to relieve his pent up sexual frustration by sleeping with almost any humanoid who breathed - girls, boys, humans or aliens; it didn't matter too much. None of them were his Bones. Jim thought that he should just be more direct about his feelings towards Bones. Then again, maybe Jim should just be glad that his best friend was happy with his current boyfriend. He seemed to be in a comfortable stable relationship with Johnny and Jim didn't want to push Bones back into the depressive state they had dealt with during their first few months together.

“Well, it must've been good if you've only just got back.”

“Jim..”

“Aw, c'mon Bones,” Jim whined. He wanted details.

“Uh, let’s see... there was music, an' bourbon, an' dancin',” Leonard paused and turned to Jim who was looking at him expectantly. Leonard gave a small coy smile, “...an' sex.”

“Oh, good for you, man! I knew you had it in you.” Jim clapped him hard on the shoulder in congratulations. Leonard winced.

“Ugh, I haven't felt this awful in months. 'm gonna see if I can sleep of the worst of this hangover. Maybe I can sleep off enough to be able to drag myself to my shift later.”

Leonard put down his empty glass and made his way to the bedroom he shared with Jim. The door opened automatically as he approached and he paused in the doorway to turn back to face Jim, who had moved back to his original position on the couch, “Wake me, an' I'll think of extra tests for your next physical, like allergy prick tests or a prostate exam.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Bones,” Jim chuckled, giving him a huge grin like he was planning something to the contrary. Leonard shook his head and rolled his eyes, while turning back and stepping into the room. The door slid closed behind him.

Once he was fully into the bedroom he made his way to his own bed, toeing off his shoes as he went. Sure, Jim would whine at him for being such a hypocrite about leaving his stuff lying about, but he really didn't care; he'd do something about his shoes when the pounding in his head was better. Leonard gave a small groan and collapsed into his bed fully clothed. He rolled over, pulling the covers around his body and dragged a pillow over his head. A few minutes later he drifted into a deep sleep.

True to his word, Jim let Leonard sleep uninterrupted for a few hours. Leonard emerged from the bedroom to find Jim still sprawled on the couch.

Leonard gave a big yawn and rubbed the back of his head, “Haven't you moved at all, Jim?”

“Eh, I got up for food at some point; I really wanna get this work finished. I'm almost done.” He looked up at Leonard, “Speaking of work, don't you have a shift in an hour?”

Leonard glanced at the chrono. “Shit!”

It was amazing just how much Leonard could achieve in such a short space of time. He'd managed to shower, change and dash out of the front door in under twenty minutes.

If only his shift would go as quickly. If Leonard had to deal with another case of crotch rot tonight he'd need a lot more bourbon. It was as if the entire academy needed a safe-sex seminar.

He pulled back the privacy curtain to the cubicle of his next patient. The cadet was sitting shirtless, holding a bloody cloth to his left shoulder.

“So, what'd yah do?”

“Well,” the cadet began and winced when Leonard lifted the cloth slightly to examine the wound underneath. He had a deep four inch laceration from the middle of his shoulder towards his nipple. “I was sparring with another cadet, but he caught me with his KaBar.”

“Yah know, the aim is to avoid the pointy end.”

“Yeah, I know,” the cadet moaned.

“Hmm, this is deep. It's gotta be auto-sutures, I'm afraid,” he said giving the cadet a hypo of mild painkillers.

He turned to get the auto-suture from the top drawer of the instrument trolley and began closing the flesh of wound on the cadet's shoulder removing the cloth slowly as he worked. He was almost halfway done when he heard a voice call out behind him, “Hey Bones!”

He glanced over his shoulder momentarily to see Jim walking towards him.

“Kinda busy here, Jim.”

“Yeah, I see that.” Jim stood peering over Leonards shoulder. He took in a sharp breath when he noticed the cut that was still untreated across the cadet's chest. “Woah, that's nasty.”

Leonard stopped auto-suturing, closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek, before giving an irritated sigh. After counting to five, he reopened his eyes and gave the cadet a weak polite smile. “''Cuse me.”

He escorted Jim away from the cubicle roughly by the elbow. Once they were a few feet away he stopped and leaned closer to Jim, “Jim, you can't be back here. Don't you understand the rules, or do you just think they don't apply t'you?”

“Geez, I just --”

“Just,” he sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose, “go wait for me in my office.”

“Okay, but don't be long. I've got a surprise for you,” he said with a grin.

Leonard watched Jim wander off in the general direction of his office. He hoped that he'd be able to get there without getting distracted by any more patients, or pretty nurses. He turned back to the cadet and gave an apologetic smile. The cadet seemed more interested in his partially healed wound.

It didn't take long for Leonard to finish auto-suturing the cadet's laceration. After a quick antibiotic hypo and short lecture on avoiding sharp objects in future, Leonard set off to his office to find out exactly what Jim wanted from him. He found Jim sitting in his office, drumming his fingers on the desk.

“Dammit, Jim, I'm busy. Wadda yah want?” He crossed his arms and gave Jim an irritated glare.

“I know you're busy, Bones, so I got yah something.”

Jim picked up a brown paper bag from the floor and handed it to Leonard. He peered inside.

“What's this?”

“Dinner, Bones! Duh! I knew you'd get so busy you'd forget to eat. And you didn't get to eat before you left.”

Leonard knew he couldn't stay angry at Jim for long.

“Thanks, kid.” He really had forgotten to eat and made short work of his homemade dinner.

Time passed quickly and soon Leonard left Jim to finish his shift. Jim frequently brought Bones food during his shifts, especially late shifts. It was almost repayment for the times he had to make Jim eat, mainly when he was knee-deep in class work. After late shifts at the ER, Bones would retreat back to the dorm where they would share some downtime together watching movies or bad daytime TV. They had fallen into this routine a few months after they first started at the academy; a routine that was now being constantly disrupted by Johnny.

Sometimes Bones would crash with Johnny rather than come back to watch TV with Jim. And sometimes Jim would turn up with dinner during Bones' shifts to find him in his office laughing over food with someone else, who he had to assume was Johnny. Those nights, he just threw the food away in the nearest bin and headed towards the on-campus bar; he tried to blur out the scene he has just seen. Once the happy look on Bones’ face had faded away from his mind, and he was sure he had forgotten the colour of Johnny's hair, he'd drag himself to bed. No matter how Jim ended up in bed he normally awoke to find his clothes changed and the covers over him.

After one such night, Jim wandered into the living area of the dorm the next day to find Leonard making lunch. Well, Leonard was _trying_ to make lunch. Jim had managed to position himself on the counter-top of their shared kitchenette and was swinging his legs. Occasionally his heels banged against the lower cupboard doors. Leonard was trying not to throttle him.

“So, what are you wearing tonight, Bones?” Jim asked.

Leonard stopped spreading the butter onto the bread. He turned to look at Jim, knife still in hand.

“What'd'ya mean 'what am I wearin''?”

“To the party, Bones! The Halloween party! What costume are you gonna wear?”

“'m not gonna be wearin' anythin', Jim.”

“Birthday suit, eh? Brave. I like it!” Jim gave Leonard a huge grin. Leonard sighed.

“'m not gonna be wearin' anythin' to the party, Jim, because 'm not goin'.” Leonard turned back to making his sandwich.

“Wadda'yah mean 'you're not going?'” Jim looked forlorn.

“I'm busy.”

“Busy? What's got you so busy you can't come to the party? We always go to the important parties!” Jim was beginning to whine, like a small child who was trying to convince his parents to let him stay up late.

Leonard turned back to Jim, “Christ, Jim, do I have to spell it out for yah? I'm a doctor, I'm busy! 'm not goin' because I have a late shift at the ER. And besides, I remember the Halloween party that you dragged me to last year. I'd rather not be treatin' you, or anyone else for that matter, for Soaxen poisoning again.” He was waving his knife in the air as he spoke as if it emphasised his point.

“It wasn't that bad,” Jim said quietly, pouting.

“That bad? You kept sneezin' every ten minutes, your photo-phobia was so bad we had to turn off all the lights an' I had to use a flashlight everywhere, an' you were purple for three days!”

Jim gave a dismissive shrug, “Ah, you have to live a little once in a while. Look, if I promise to stay away from all the brightly coloured cocktails this time, will you come?”

Leonard sighed. He wasn't going to be able to keep saying no. He knew Jim wouldn't let up until he said yes, or at least agreed to a compromise. Jim always insisted on attending Starfleet functions with Leonard.

“Fine!” exclaimed Leonard, “I'll try an' come after my shift, if the party is still going by then. If not then I'll come help drag your ass back home.”

“Awesome!” Jim gave a big grin. He clapped Leonard on the back, jumped from the counter and rushed into the bedroom mumbling something about face paint and fake blood. Leonard finished making his sandwich then pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve the headache he could feel coming. He gave another sigh when he heard a muffled shout coming from their bedroom, “Bones, what're you gonna wear?”

“I'll think of something,” he shouted back.

He hoped that the party would be almost over by the time he could get there. Knowing his luck, it wouldn't be. It was also his luck that Johnny would turn up ten minutes before the end of his shift to drag him to the same Halloween party. There was definitely no way he could avoid going. Johnny had even solved his “no costume” part of his argument against going; he had managed to find something for him to wear in a nearby closet. Leonard couldn't help but constantly pull at the hem of his “costume”. It was far too short for his liking even though Johnny had whispered his approval into Leonard's ear while he had been pressed up against a wall in his office. Those sweet words and his warm breath had melted Leonard's resolve and now they were making their way towards the party. He wasn't looking forward to seeing Jim; he was never going to here the end of this.

It took all of two minutes for Jim to spot him at the party. Crap.

Jim chuckled when he saw Bones approach him.

“Oh m'god, Bones! What _are_ you wearing?!” Jim shouted over the loud music.

Leonard stopped in front of Jim with a slight scowl on his face, “It's a skant, Jim,” he shouted back. He shifted his weight nervously and crossed his arms. He tried to look anywhere but at Jim. “I'm a nurse.”

Even in the half dark of the party Jim knew Leonard was blushing. Jim burst into loud laughter. It was cruel to laugh; He wouldn't have normally, but he had a few drinks in him. Leonard shifted his weight again to his other foot and Jim was beginning to have problems breathing. It soon began to stabilise when they were joined by somebody else, dressed as a stereotypical vampire, holding two bottles of what Jim assumed were beer. The vampire handed one of the bottles to Leonard and gave him a rough kiss on the cheek. This must be Johnny. Jim wasn't looking forward to this.

“Hey babe, got you a beer.”

Yep, definitely Johnny.

Bones had talked a lot about him, but Jim had never had the chance to actually meet him, not that he wanted to. Now he had, he instantly disliked him. Babe? Beer? Really? Johnny and Bones had been a couple for quite a few months now and after all that time Johnny hadn't learnt that Bones really wouldn't like to be called “babe” and didn't like to drink at parties (someone had to get Jim home). Jim guessed that Johnny also hadn't noticed the beautiful tiny flecks of gold and emerald among the hazel of Bones’ irises, or the fact his accent was more pronounced when he was stressed or angry or still half asleep. That oh-so-sexy Southern drawl of his Jim loved so much. Jim sighed inwardly to himself before realising that Bones and Johnny were looking at him expectantly.

“Uh, sorry? What did you say? It's kinda loud in here.”

Johnny leaned towards Jim so he could be better heard, “I said, how do you know Leonard?”

“We're roommates. We met--”

“Oh, so you're Jim. Jim Kirk? Leonard talks a lot about you.”

“He does, does he? Nothing bad, I hope.”

“God, It's almost like he has nothing else to talk about,” Johnny laughed.

The conversation goes a lot smoother than both Jim and Leonard were expecting. There were a few embarrassing stories that they all laughed over and a few jokes but it's mostly harmless small talk. While Jim was actively involved with the conversation, he couldn't help but notice all the subtle body language between the two. A little touch here, a little lean-in there. It was mostly Johnny doing the touching, and Bones leaning towards him in reply. Jim didn't need a degree in... whatever it was, to understand that Johnny was definitely in control of their relationship and Jim didn't like that. He could see he had Bones wrapped around his little finger. And that wouldn't end well.

After more infuriating small talk and a few rounds of drinks, Johnny spotted another friend at the other side of the party and politely excused himself.

“Wow, Bones, he's, uh...” Jim couldn't really bring himself to use the words he had in mind so he decided on a white lie, “nice.”

“Yeah,” Leonard said, distracted in watching Johnny weave through the throngs of people, “He is pretty amazin’.”

Jim made a small disgusted face while Bones was facing away from him and replaced it with a big grin when he turned back to face Jim.

Jim and Leonard were standing too close to the dancefloor; one of the dancing cadets knocked into Leonard and he stumbled forward into Jim. Their bodies were suddenly pressed up against each other and Jim gave a breathy groan. He gazed upwards into Bones’ gorgeous hazel-coloured eyes. Leonard took a step back. Jim downed his drink. The alcohol in his system was helping him to do something stupid.

“'I've been thinkin' lot 'bout us,” Jim was slurring slightly.

Leonard raised an eyebrow, “Oh, yeah? What're you plannin' now? We gonna change the colour of the pool again? Maybe, pull the fire alarm, huh?”

Jim leaned into Leonard and whispered into ear, “Love you, Bones.”

Leonard chuckled and gently eased Jim's body away from his, “Easy there, Cowboy. I think that last cocktail of yours went straight to your head.”

Jim's drunken mind wasn't allowing him to form any kind of coherent response so he decided to reply by pressing his lips to Leonard's. He expected Bones to immediately push away, but Jim was pleasantly surprised when the kiss was deepened. As Bones moved his hands to cup the sides of Jim's head, his fingers lightly entwining in his soft, blond hair, Jim licked at his top lip as if asking permission to deepen the kiss. Bones moaned softly and parted his lips. They had a few long moments of exploration before a voice jolted them apart.

“What the fuck?!”

It was Johnny. Leonard, suddenly sobered and stuttered, trying to find words to explain what Johnny had just witnessed, what he and Jim had just experienced, but failed to find any.

“Look, I-- “ Jim started, but was promptly cut off when Johnny's fist collided with his nose. He jerked away clasping both his hands over his nose. He tasted blood at the back of his throat.

“Hey!” Leonard stepped between them, both hands up, hoping that he could break up the fight before it got any further. He knew that given half the chance Jim would retaliate which would make things a lot worse. “It's not what it looks like...”

“Yeah, right. You guys have always been into each other. The way you talk about him. The way you're always together. I can't believe I've been so stupid.”

“I've not--”

“Oh, fuck off, Leonard!” Johnny turned suddenly and stormed off. Leonard wanted to go after him, but he thought better of it; he'd only make it worse. He still had no explanation, or understanding at what he'd just done. He'd have to find him later to explain when he'd had time to process the whole situation. He turned back to look at Jim who had managed to sit down on a nearby chair, leaning forward, still clasping his nose. Leonard knelt before him and went to move Jim's hands. Jim flinched away.

“C'mon, yer big baby, lemme look.”

Gingerly, Jim moved his hands from his nose to let Leonard palpate the area. Jim audibly winced and squinted his eyes when he prodded a particularly tender part just below the bridge of his nose.

“Yep, broken. C'mon,” Leonard hauled Jim to his feet, “let's get you to the ER. Christ, Jim, can't we go to one party where I don't have to drag your broken ass home.”

“Yeah, well, at least I'm not the one in a dress.”

Leonard jerked, “Gah!” He'd forgotten about his Halloween costume.

He got a few curious looks when he and Jim arrived at the ER, but everyone wisely decided to keep their opinions to themselves. They knew of Leonard's temperament and most knew from experience to not get into his bad books; they would be first on his list for all the unpleasant jobs like emptying bedpans and washing the vomit off of the drunkards. Once they arrived at his office, Leonard made quick work of changing back into his own medical uniform; Jim was swaying slightly in the chair he was sitting in.

“Now,” began Leonard, kneeling on the floor in front of Jim brandishing a tricorder, “Let's look at that nose of yours.”

Normally, Jim would have swatted Leonard's hands away but he was feeling pretty sorry for himself. He was used to getting into fights, and he was used to getting injured from those fights, and he was used to Bones putting him back together, but today he'd earned his broken nose crossing lines he shouldn't have crossed. As much as it hurt, he felt he'd deserved it.

“Bones, I'm...I'm sorry.”

Leonard looked at the results of his tricorder scan and reached into his medical bag for some tape, “Right, all you need is some tape an' your nose'll be fine.” He began to tear strips from his roll and gently place them over the crook of Jim's nose. Jim winced.

“Didn't cha hear me, Bones? I said I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kiss you. I'm just kinda drunk and.. and –”

“I heard yah! An' I'm choosin' to ignore yah at the moment. I think we're gonna need to talk about it in the mornin' when you're more sober. So,” Leonard jabbed a hypo into the side of Jim's neck, “get the hell outta my office an' go home.”

Waving a dismissive hand as he packed his tricorder and tape back into his medical bag, Jim stayed seated.

“Look, Bones, I --”

“Just, fuck off, Jim,” Leonard said angrily as he stood. He placed his bag back into one of the drawers of his desk, “'m really not in the mood to discuss it with you right now.”

And then he left.

After ten minutes of sitting in the quiet of Bones’ office, Jim realised that he wasn't coming back any time soon. Jim hadn't thought Bones was that angry about it; he'd been completely calm about the whole situation up to the last few minutes of their conversation. Jim slowly dragged himself back to their dorm, half expecting to find Bones nursing a glass of his favourite Bourbon, but wasn't surprised when he discovered the dorm completely empty. He took a quick glance at himself in a mirror in the shower room. His nose was already turning a violent shade of purple. He groaned and wished Bones was there to mollycoddle him even with his oh-so-pleasant bedside manner.

Once changed out of his Halloween costume and into a comfortable t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, he collapsed into bed. He hadn't even bothered to draw back the covers, choosing to sleep on top of them. It would've taken too much energy to do that. All Jim wanted to do was sleep and try and forget tonight's events. He fell into a restless sleep.

Weeks later Jim found Bones sitting at his desk in his office. He didn't react when Jim knocked at the door frame, or even when he sat in the chair on the other side. He seemed completely engrossed in what he was doing on the console on his desk. Jim coughed lightly to try and get Bones’ attention. Nothing. It was almost as if he was ignoring him. Heck, he probably was. It might be the reason why Bones decided to stay for hours after the end of his shifts. After returning home from Halloweens medical visit they had hardly spoken. Bones had said a few choice words in the morning, when Jim was more sober, and they had stung as much as Jim's broken nose. They had mainly consisted of telling Jim to leave him alone. But that was four weeks ago. Surely Bones would have forgiven him by now. It was time to try a more direct approach.

Jim leaned forward and braced himself on his elbows on Leonard's desk, “Bones, are you gonna stay here all night?”

“That's exactly what I was plannin' to do.” Leonard didn't look up from the console, but he did stop pushing buttons. He simply hovered his fingers over the screen. It was a start.

“But, it's thanksgiving.”

Leonard looked up at Jim, “And?”

“There's that thanksgiving meal on the menu in the cafeteria. I thought we could go check it out.”

“I'm busy, Jim.” He went back to pushing buttons.

“Doing what? Moping around some more? Geez, Bones, you gotta move on! Okay, so things with Johnny didn't work out. It's not the end of the world.

Leonard slammed his fists on the desk and glared at Jim, “Fuck, Jim, you really don't get it, do you? Johnny ditched me because of you; he caught you kissin' me at the Halloween party. Or don't you remember?”

“Yeah, I do remember, and I also remember you joining in. Or don't you remember that bit?”

“I...fuck.” He slumped back in his chair and looked away from Jim. Jim was right. As much as Jim had initiated it, Leonard hadn't done anything to stop it. He was just as guilty as Jim. As much as he wanted to be angry at Jim, he knew he couldn't keep blaming him. He was going to have to admit he and Johnny were no longer together, and that Jim would always be there for him no matter what happened.

“Alright,” Leonard said, looking at Jim, “Let's go check it out.”

Jim was surprised at Bones’ reaction; he was expecting a bit more of an argument especially after the silent treatment he'd been getting. He sat more upright, “Really? You're not mad at me anymore?”

“I am, but I guess I can't keep blamin' you for what happened. I _was_ partly to blame.”

“Oh, Bones!” Jim jumped up and quickly scooted around the desk. He felt the sudden need to hug Bones. Leonard held up his hands to stop him.

“Woah, woah! Easy there. I said I was willin' to forgive you, not marry you.”

“But you are taking me out to dinner.”

“Oh, I am, am I?” Leonard smirked.

Jim smirked back, “Yeah, at the cafeteria. I can't believe you don't remember already. Or were you actually ignoring me?”

“I remember. I just didn't realise that I was the one buyin' it.”

Jim crossed his arms in mock irritation, “Well, yeah. You gotta get me something to show you forgive me. Flowers really won't cut it.”

Leonard briefly turned back to the console to push a few more buttons, the screen going blank, and pushed his chair away from the desk so he could stand. He appeared to be finished with whatever he was doing, which was probably some of the seemingly endless reports he always moaned about. Jim followed close behind as Leonard left the room. “Am I supposed to take you to a movie too?”

“If you like, but then that'll be a date.”

“Ah, maybe we'll leave the movie to another time then. I don't wanna be givin' you any mixed signals.” Leonard smirked at Jim.

This was weird - they had never made any jokes about anything beyond their friendship before, but it was nice that they had managed to fit into some of their regular banter so quickly. Jim hoped Bones was being serious. He didn't think Bones wanted to be anything more than friends, but he thought it was a good start in the right direction.

They made a quick stop at the nurses’ station so that Leonard could discharge a few patients and to tell them he was going off duty. They seemed relieved that he was leaving, and with Jim. The nurses muttered and giggled amongst themselves, probably about Jim and Leonard, as they left for the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was relatively quiet. The evening rush had been over a few hours ago. Jim and Leonard ate their meals in comfortable silence, both enjoying each other’s company once again.

“So, Bones. What are you thankful for?”

Leonard pondered the question for a few moments, “I guess I'd have to be thankful for being away from my bitch of an ex-wife.”

“Aw, Bones, that's so heartfelt.” Jim took a moment to enjoy another mouthful of his dinner. “I'm thankful for you.”

“Me? You're not gonna kiss me again, are yah?” He leaned away from Jim with a smirk on his face.

“Not after what happened last time. I just meant it's great to have you as a friend, my best friend. My only friend. I dunno what I'd do without you to patch up all my cuts and bruises and broken bones all the time, and by putting up with me.”

Yeah, Leonard had played psychiatrist to Jim on many occasions, mainly in the first year. People were always comparing him to his dad and expecting him to live up to the same standards. They never saw him beyond that, as his own man who wanted to make a name for himself rather that live in his father's shadow. Hell, Leonard was only a country doctor, dammit, and really wasn't qualified to help him work through all his feelings, but he could totally understand how he felt; he'd been there himself too.

“Maybe one day, I could be there for you too,” Jim continued. He looked at Bones hopefully. Jim had been there for him too during those first few months of their friendship, helping Bones deal with the emotional pain of his divorce. He had always maintained that the relationship he had had with his wife had been nothing beyond paperwork and meaningless wedding vows. What Bones had needed help with was being separated from his daughter. He loved her dearly and found it hard to work through the issue of his ex-wife gaining full custody of her. There was lots of drink involved, but Jim had helped guide him through his pain just as much as Bones fixed his broken body time after time.

Looking back now, Jim was surprised their friendship hadn't developed any further. What they did for each other was a lot more than just being best friends. It was stupid to think it was anything less than being in a steady relationship. It was what Jim always wanted between them, but he wasn't sure if Bones felt the same way.

“Bones?” Leonard paused for a moment to look at Jim, who continued now he had his attention, “What do you think about this relationship between us?”

Leonard shoved some more potato into his mouth and spoke with his mouth full, “Wadda'yah mean?”

“Well, it's just that you've always been there for me, and I'd like to think I've always been there for you; I don't think we could survive without each other.”

It was time to be blunt, “I don't think Johnny was the right guy for you.”

“Oh, an' I suppose you think you are?!” Leonard could see where this was going and he didn't feel entirely comfortable with what he thought Jim was suggesting.

“Dammit, Bones, that's not what I meant.”

“An' just what did you mean?”

“I meant that he had no idea who you were. He had no idea what kinda things you liked or didn't like, what kinda things you did or didn't do. He bought you beer... he called you _babe_! I know you hate that kinda thing, but you just let him do it. You just followed him around like a lost puppy.”

“I _do_ hate those kinda things, Jim, but I really liked him so I let him get away with it. Fuck!” Leonard scraped his chair loudly on the floor as he pushed away from the table roughly, “Am I not allowed to be happy once in a while?” He jabbed a finger in Jim's direction, “The world doesn't always revolve around you, yah know!”

Leonard swiftly spun around and stormed off out of the cafeteria, and probably back to his office. Jim groaned in anger and buried his face in his hands, resting his elbows on the table. He knew he wouldn't be seeing Bones any time soon. Again. Fuck!

Jim returned to the dorm after a few hours sampling various different alcoholic beverages at the on-campus bar and was surprised to hear noises coming from the bathroom. As he approached he heard retching sounds followed by the toilet flushing. Jim pushed the door open gently to find Leonard sitting on the floor next to the toilet, his arms hugging the top of the bowl and his head resting on the rim. He was still in his medical tunic so Jim supposed that he must have rushed straight in when he returned and hadn't made much of an effort to leave.

“You alright, Bones?” Jim knelt next to Leonard.

Leonard just moaned and closed his eyes tightly. They had sat for a few moments in relative silence, only Leonard's deep breathing breaking the quiet, when Leonard suddenly groaned and launched forward to heave into the toilet bowl. Jim stood to get him a glass of water and rejoined him on the floor. Leonard flushed away the last of the contents of his stomach and accepted the glass of water gratefully. He rinsed the bitter taste of bile from his mouth and promptly spat the water into the bowl. After a few more sips he gave the glass back to Jim and placed his head back on the rim of the toilet bowl.

“Thanks,” he said weakly.

“You alright?”

“Yeah. It's just food posionin' from that damn thanksgivin' meal you talked me into. Half the academy seems to have it. Treated most of 'em before it hit me.” He closed his eyes again. Jim rubbed his hand up and down Leonard's back to try and help ease any of his discomfort.

“'m sorry, Bones.”

“For what?” He peeked open an eye to look at Jim, who looked genuinely sincere.

“For what I said at the cafeteria. It's just that I always felt that there was something more between us, something more than friends. I really do care about you, Bones, and as much as I'd like to be in a relationship with you, I understand now that maybe you don't, and that's okay. All I hope is that no matter who you're with or whatever you do, you're happy. And I'll always be there for you. Always. I'll always be up for drinking, or partying, or even to listen about your bad day, or your stupid patients and how you don't understand how they haven't managed to kill themselves, or if you need to let it all out and get a bit upset,” Jim meant having a good cry, but they were too manly to admit they needed to do that once in a while even if they did.

“Wow, that's a lotta words, Jimmy. You need to lie down or somethin'?” He gave a small smirk and Jim gently nudged him with his shoulder.

“Hey, shut up. I'm being serious.”

“I know,” he gave a small fond smile, which Jim returned, “Thank you.”

Leonard leaned away from the toilet to rest his head on Jim's shoulders. Jim put an arm around Bone’s shoulders. It was a silent way of them saying everything was forgiven and that they could, and should, move on as if the whole argument hadn't happened.

“You feeling better, Bones?” Jim asked after several minutes.

“Yeah, a lot better, actually.”

Jim helped Leonard to stand and helped him away from the shower room. Leonard was thankful of Jim's help; he was feeling pretty weak-kneed and had thought he would have spent the night in the shower room, hugging the toilet. He was also thankful that he didn't seem to be vomiting any more. Once they had made their way into the living area Jim carefully deposited Leonard onto the couch.

“Be right back,” Jim said, rushing into their bedroom.

He returned shortly with some fresh clothes for Leonard, a pillow and the throw from Leonard's bed. Leonard changed, with Jim's help, and threw his worn clothes somewhere in the vague direction of their bedroom. Jim gave the pillow to Leonard who placed it behind his head while Jim placed the throw over him, tucking the edges of one side around him. He climbed onto the couch and covered himself with the other half before shuffling closer to Leonard. They weren't touching but they were close enough that if Leonard did want to lean on Jim, he could.

“I guess as you're not feeling well, I'm gonna have to stay up and keep you company.”

Leonard gave a contented sigh. Jim clicked on the TV.

“Any preferences on what you wanna watch?” Jim asked, flicking through the channels.

“Nah. You pick.”

“Me pick? Woah, you really must be unwell. Oh, look,” Jim stopped flicking, “I remember this movie. It's the first one we saw together, remember? It was after we accidentally started that fight at McQuaid's the night before.”

“You mean, after _you_ started that fight. Deliberately.”

“Well, he was the one to throw the first punch so, technically, I didn't start it,” Jim said with a chuckle. He remembered that fight. He ended up with a black eye and Leonard had dislocated his finger throwing his own punches. He also remembered that Leonard had refused to seek treatment at the ER and decided to relocate his own finger. “Too much paperwork and waitin’ around for somethin' I can do myself,” he had said. Jim was sure that it had hurt like a _sonofabitch_ judging from some of the words Leonard had come out with, even though Leonard would never admit it had.

The movie progressed and was just over halfway through when Jim felt the weight of Leonard's head on his shoulder. A few minutes after that Jim heard soft snoring. He smiled and slowly moved up from the couch, gently guiding Leonard's relaxed body to lay on the couch and rearranged the pillow and throw accordingly, tucking the throw around him. Leonard sighed softly and moved subconsciously into a more comfortable position.

Jim watched him sleep for a few moments. He looked so peaceful – the almost permanent grumpy scowl gone. Jim suddenly yawned and left Leonard to go sleep in his own bed.

Leonard had hoped that he wouldn't have any more bouts of vomiting, but after some more over almost two weeks he decided that he had better seek a second opinion. It was happening too much and too inconsistently. Some days he would be okay, but on others he would be sick at least two or three times in one day. If only could predict when it would happen. That would make him feel better. Not much, but a little. He'd prefer it if he wasn't ill at all. At least he knew about certain smells could set of a sudden outburst. That was definitely helpful.

Leonard knocked lightly on the doorjamb to his office that he was currently sharing with Geoff M'Benga. Geoff looked up from the console to see Leonard leaning against the doorjamb. He looked pale-faced, his eyes looked sunken in from apparent lack of sleep, his hair was sticking to his forehead from a slight sweat, he was trembling slightly and Geoff noticed he had his eyes closed and was taking short deep breaths as if he was fighting nausea.

“Hey, Leonard. You alright? You look like shit.”

Leonard opened his eyes to look at Geoff but found it hard to hide his worried look.

“Hey Geoff, been feelin' pretty crap recently an’ wondered if you could check me over.”

“Sure, s'up?”

Leonard opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the courage to talk about how he was feeling knowing that someone could walk by at any moment. Even though he was a doctor himself he was nervous, and a little embarrassed at admitting that he could be unwell.

Geoff sensed his nervousness and rose from his desk to escort Leonard towards a private examination room where he encouraged him to sit on the biobed. Once Leonard had perched upon the bed he blew out a shaky breath as he fought against another vicious wave of nausea. Geoff pressed a few buttons on the nearby console and the screen beside the bed jumped to life, giving running statistics of Leonard. They both looked at the continuously updating information.

“Hmm,” started Geoff, “heart-rate normal, blood pressure slightly elevated, but still within normal range, O2 levels normal, no fever. Hmm, nothing looks unusual.” He knew Leonard could understand and interpret the information in the same way, but felt he needed to think out loud. “How've you been feeling in general, Leonard?”

“Generally shitty; been feeling nauseous on an’ off the last few weeks. Been puttin' it down to drinkin' sessions an' crappy food, but I just haven't been able to shake it.”

“Have you actually been throwing up, or is it just continuing nausea?”

“Uh, I’ve thrown up quite a few times. It started after that crappy thanksgivin' meal from the canteen. I had kinda thought it was just that food posionin’ that half the academy had, but I guess not. If I’m not being sick, I feel sick.”

He took another deep breath.

“Sounds like it could be lingering gastroenteritis, but let's do some bloodwork to cover our bases.”

Leonard instinctively pushed up the left sleeve of his medical tunic to allow Geoff to take a blood sample from the crook of his elbow. Once he had taken enough he placed the vial of blood into console by the bed. Most of the examination rooms at Starfleet Medical had consoles connected to the main computer in the laboratory so various bodily samples could be tested remotely.

While they waited for the results Geoff continued with his differential diagnosis, “So, Leonard, any stomach cramps, fatigue, headaches?” These were all common symptoms of gastroenteritis.

“Yeah, no headaches though.”

“Had a fever at any point?”

“Not that I've noticed.”

“Increased irritability?”

“Only when Jim pisses me off. That's nothin' new.”

Geoff gave a small chuckle. Jim was always testing Leonard's patience and trying to see how long the man would tolerate him. If he wasn't hanging around the ER pushing Leonard's buttons, Leonard was venting about the latest difficulties Jim had been causing him elsewhere around the academy. He was just about to ask further questions when the bed console gave a few small beeps, indicating that some of results of the blood sample were ready and he examined the data on the console. Geoff gave an intrigued frown.

“Lie back, Leonard.”

He did so and allowed Geoff to scan him with a tricorder. A smile crept up on his face as he moved the wand over Leonard's abdomen.

“What is it? What's wrong? What'd the results say?”

“Well, Leonard, it appears that your HCG levels are pretty high.”

“What?! I don’t understand,” Leonard propped himself up on his elbows, “HCG is only produced durin' pregnancy.”

“That it is, Leonard,” Geoff said, giving a small smile.

Geoff nodded his head towards the screen beside the bed that has previously been displaying Leonard's statistics. Leonard twisted his head to look at it, his mouth slightly agape. The black and white image was slightly fuzzy and it had been a while since he had had to read a scan like this but Leonard could easily make out the shape of a baby. He couldn't find the words to speak so Geoff answered the question he knew Leonard wanted to ask.

“Based on your levels of HCG and the size of the baby I'd say that you're about... 10 weeks pregnant.”

“I... I...” Leonard flopped back onto the bed and put an arm over his eyes, “I can't be...” Pregnant. He didn't want to say it out loud. If he said it, it meant that it would become more of a reality. For now he just wanted a few more moments of ignorance. He thought back to that night of bourbon and dancing with Johnny – the only night they'd been intimate. “It was just the once, and the probabilities are so insignificant I didn't think that... that it was possible.”

He was on the verge of a panic attack. Geoff gently placed a hand on Leonard's shoulder to ground him to reality and calmer thoughts. Leonard gave him a pleading look.

“Remember, Leonard, there are lots of things you can do from abortion to carrying the baby to term and then there is still the option of adoption. I recommend you speak to the other father and go from there.” A pause. Leonard still looked like a rabbit caught in a car's headlights. “Here, “Geoff pressed a few buttons on the console, “I'll send you a copy of the scan, and some numbers of people you can contact in family planning. Now, go home, Leonard. It’s quiet; I can cover the rest of your shift.”

Leonard sat up on the bed and swung his legs over the edge, his eyes fixed on a dirty spot on the toe of his boot and spoke quietly, almost whispering, “Thanks Geoff.”

He didn't attempt to move from the bed.

“I'm always here, Leonard, if you ever need to talk.”

Leonard looked up at him with a small smile, “Yeah. Thanks.”

“Alright, I'm gonna need to get back. Take a few minutes then... Go. Home!” Leonard was a stubborn bastard and Geoff needed to take a short, blunt attitude sometimes to get him to do what he'd asked.

Leonard gave a small nod. As much as he wanted to distract himself by continuing his shift he knew that he really wouldn't be able to focus on the job at hand, and that could potentially cost lives, which was a bad idea. He also felt like he needed to track down Johnny and see what his thoughts were on the situation. It wasn't going to be an easy conversation. He was so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed that Geoff had begun to make his way from the examination room.

“Hey Leonard,” Geoff began, turning back to face Leonard from the doorway and giving him big smile. “Congratulations.”

“Heh, thanks, I suppose.”

“You'll be alright Leonard, no matter what you chose to do.” And with that Geoff left, leaving Leonard alone with his thoughts after the door closed behind him. After a few minutes, and many deep breaths to help settle his nausea, Leonard jumped down from the bed and made his way back towards the office to grab his jacket. Then he left to find Johnny.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to apologise in advance for the time it's gonna take me to get chapters uploaded. I do have a plan for the entire story (geez, you should see my notebook!) but I work a lot of hours and it can be hard to get motivated. I promise that I'm not gonna abandon this story, and I might even get some other stories/drabbles written too. 
> 
> Feedback is love. :)


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